Miles Morales is a lot of fun while it lasts, but it's too short and similar to the 2018 game to truly shine

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bigsocrates

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Edited By bigsocrates  Online

Spider-Man: Miles Morales almost lost me at the very beginning of the game. I can accept a lot of unrealistic things in video games, especially if they’re about super-powered teenagers, but there are certain events so utterly absurd that they require I do more than just suspend my disbelief, they demand I abandon it altogether. 10 minutes into the game Miles is supposed to do some shopping for his mother near their new Harlem apartment when he gets a request from Peter Parker to help monitor a prisoner transport. His mother doesn’t know he’s secretly a second Spider-Man so he calls her to tell her he’ll be delayed, and says that the bodega he was going to didn’t have any coconut milk but that he would try to find some downtown. This is, to put it mildly, insane. Manhattan is home to 1.6 million people, and traveling from Harlem to downtown is traversing about half the length of the island. That’s the equivalent of saying that your local store in Minneapolis was out of coconut milk so you were going to traverse the whole city and cross the river to the outskirts of St. Paul in order to get more. Do you know how many grocery stores there are between Harlem and downtown? Even if you want to pretend that coconut milk is a specialty item in 2020 New York (it was not), there’s a Whole Foods on 125th street and a lot of other specialty food shops in the area. The idea that Morales would tell his mom he was going downtown to look for coconut milk instead of checking one of these large local grocery stores is beyond madness. It’s like saying “I need a rock to use as a paperweight, let me just take a quick trip to the moon and grab one.” The fact that she buys this story instantly brands her as far too naïve to deserve the public office she’s seeking.

Yep. There's no way anyone could find coconut milk in a city this small without traveling its whole length. How many grocery stores could there be in New York? 3? 4?
Yep. There's no way anyone could find coconut milk in a city this small without traveling its whole length. How many grocery stores could there be in New York? 3? 4?

Fortunately the game recovers from this horrific misstep with a thrilling action set piece battle against Rhino. This is one of the best opening to a video game I can remember, with a ton of flash and excitement buoying what is essentially a tutorial and an incredible interweaving between fighting Rhino and some common thugs throughout the sequence. You’re working alongside Peter Parker and at times he is keeping Rhino busy while you handle some normal enemies. Having Rhino and Peter smash across your screen while you do something else is immersive in all the best ways. Then you take over handling Rhino while Peter Parker is hurt or handling something else, and it really makes you feel like you’re working as a team to take down a threat. I’m not going to say that it fully redeems the game from the coconut milk line, but it goes a long way.

Fighting alongside the other Spider-Man is a treat, and a great way to introduce Miles as a protagonist.
Fighting alongside the other Spider-Man is a treat, and a great way to introduce Miles as a protagonist.

Miles Morales has some smart tweaks to the 2018 Spider-Man game, including a closer camera that makes combat more visceral and exciting, a slightly different rhythm to combat where enemies go down in fewer hits, which reduces frustration from the original game when you had to hammer on a foe for a long time, often taking breaks to dodge, to take them down. There’s also a greater focus on super powers instead of gadgets, and it’s a marked improvement. Managing Peter’s inventory during fights could be fiddly and momentum breaking, while Miles’ fighting flows much better with more options available at any moment even if his gadget wheel only has 4 selections.

Even with these changes Miles Morales still feels a little bit like leftovers from the 2018 outing. It’s still very good, but it’s never going to heat up quite the same way it did the first time, and there’s the feeling you get with leftovers that even though the meal is tasty you’re just eating the same thing again. Miles’ power load out is different but the combat is very much built on Spider-Man 2018’s game system. You brawl, you web guys up from the rafters above them, you swing through the city, and you solve the occasional environmental puzzle. Miles has two types of powers that Peter doesn’t. The first is venom, which allows him to supercharge certain attacks with electric power to stun and do extra damage to his enemies. The second is camouflage, which lets him vanish in plain sight. The game doesn’t really seem designed to take full advantage of these abilities and they end up making many encounters even easier than they were in the 2018 game. Venom is at least necessary to take on some of the bosses and helps with some of the tougher fodder, but camouflage feels very poorly balanced for the stealth sections, where you’re now able to vanish mid fight and return to stealth if you want, and can get a skill that makes you vanish right before you’re about to be seen, and trivializes many of the stealth challenges. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the additions game breaking, but they do make things easier and I don’t think they do quite enough to make Miles Morales feel like something other than an add on for the 2018 game. Combat flows a little better but it still feels the same. Stealth is easier but not more interesting. They’ve added the ability to pull and web up gears for certain environmental “puzzles” and also to connect electric nodes with webbing in order to power doors or machines. Neither of those feel like fair exchanges for what they took away, which were the various types of computer puzzles Peter Parker could do, like trying to match patterns of lines or creating circuit paths with the right charges. Those were decent changes of pace even if they did get old after a while, and while it made sense to try something new here the new stuff is ludicrously simple and just feels like boring busy work. Ping spider sense, go to the interactable object, interact, move on. Nobody’s expecting The Witness level puzzles in your spider-man game, but if you’re going to put puzzles in then do something with them. Something more than this.

Miles' camouflage ability is integrated into the game's cut scenes but feels inessential during gameplay. I think I encountered one mission where it was necessary to eavesdrop on some thugs. Thrilling stuff.
Miles' camouflage ability is integrated into the game's cut scenes but feels inessential during gameplay. I think I encountered one mission where it was necessary to eavesdrop on some thugs. Thrilling stuff.

On the plus side, the 2018 game’s New York map has been fully redone for a Christmas in New York motif and it looks great. I love the wintery look and all the holiday touches, down to Miles’ first outfit featuring a big puffy winter jacket. Overall it’s a gorgeous game. It’s cross-generational so I don’t think it takes advantage of the PS5’s full power, but it’s an obvious step up from even the remastered 2018 game and the art design works. Snowy New York, the warmly lit indoor scenes, the bright colorful holiday decorations, it’s all really good stuff. It even introduces a new type of thug who wields purple energy weapons and that alone gives some of the fights more of a comic book visual identity than Spider-Man 2018’s army of bad guys with real world weapons or gray smoke whips. The soundtrack has added more variety to the orchestral movie-style score of the first game, with a little holiday inflected music and a few tracks with a fresher hip hop sound that’s rare for video games but shouldn’t be. These musical changes are fewer and further between than I’d have liked, but I really enjoyed them whenever they happened. The rest of the score is very similar to that from the first game, with a reworked version of that game’s good theme and a bunch of generic orchestral stuff that’s of good quality but unobtrusive and unmemorable.

Dualsense integration is not at the level of Astro’s Playroom but probably the second best of the PS5 games I’ve tried so far, with subtle vibrations through the haptics and some even more subtle trigger tension stuff. It’s not at the point where It feels like a whole different game or anything, but considering how many PS5 titles just use the controller for standard rumble stuff it’s nice to see a first party game putting the features to good use. Miles Morales also features PS5 activity cards that let you load into various side activities or the next main mission right from the dashboard, and incredibly fast load times. Honestly the biggest reason I’d suggest waiting for the PS5 version over the PS4 version is that. I’m sure the game looks nice enough on PS4, and I played Spider-Man 2018 with a Dual Shock 4 so I know that controller is up to the task, but the loading times and ability to use activity cards (even though I didn’t ever do that) are truly nice next gen features that some gamers are going to love.

One thing that's new to the game is a level of jank. It's not in bad shape by the standards of most games, but I encountered more glitches than I'm used to from Insomniac games, especially 5 months after launch.
One thing that's new to the game is a level of jank. It's not in bad shape by the standards of most games, but I encountered more glitches than I'm used to from Insomniac games, especially 5 months after launch.

Miles Morales trims some but not all of the fat from Spider-Man 2018. New York is still divided up into neighborhoods and they each have collectables and side missions and crimes to complete, but there are far fewer than in the Peter Parker game. Random crimes in particular have had their numbers massively reduced, with only a dozen or so spread through the city instead of 5 per faction per neighborhood, which is merciful if you’re going for the platinum but better even if you’re not because you’re not faced with constantly veering off to deal with some repetitive activity or ignoring a plea for help, which isn’t very Spider-Manesque. There’s still a lot to do, and much of it feels a little too much like busy work. An activity that has you recording 10 sounds around the city for Miles’ hobby of making beats out of ambient sounds is cool in theory, but way too fiddly in practice and often requires finding an arbitrary point to record from even after you’ve figured out what object you’re supposed to be recording to match the target. Collecting tech parts stolen by criminals more or less involves following your radar and Spider-Sense and maybe one tiny obstacle far too simple to be called a puzzle, like opening a door or breaking a box in the way. Sometimes they’re just out in the open. I understand that open worlds need things to do in them but I’m not sure that the Spider-Man games have quite figured out what those should actually be. Also gone are the non-superpowered stealth sections where you played as Mary Jane or Miles himself. Those aren’t missed (good riddance!) but they also aren’t replaced with anything. Miles Morales strips out a lot from 2018 Spider-Man and doesn’t replace it with anything at all. Even if the stuff being removed was mostly to that game’s detriment, it would have been nice for the game to bring something new to the table since it’s more or less a sequel. At least the side missions, which are now accessed through an app created by Miles’ best friend Ganke, who is aware of his secret identity, are generally decent. They’re structured very similarly to the main story missions but tend to be smaller in scope and focused on helping people in Miles’ neighborhood rather than saving the city or going up against a powerful corporation or supervillain.

Moving on to the story, Insomniac made some smart choices with Miles’ personality. The game has a recap of some events from Spider-Man 2018 for people who didn’t play that, which shows Miles losing his father, helping Peter protect the city, and then becoming Peter’s protégé after Miles is bitten by a spider similar to the one that nibbled on Pete, which gives Miles powers that are similar but not identical to Peter’s. Peter leaves New York in his hands and he’s forced to operate without the safety blanket of his mentor. Miles clearly cares for Peter and is very respectful in their face to face interactions, but he’s willing to call Peter out on his corny, dorky, ways behind his back. An early game moment when Miles finds out that Peter tunes his Spider-Suits to automatically play J Jonah Jameson’s show makes Miles question whether Peter is a masochist, and tune in to a younger, fresher, host (though new Jonah podcasts are also available if you want them.) I smiled. I appreciate the thin line the game walks between Miles’ youth and naivete and his city-kid cynicism. He’s extremely likable, and there’s enough Peter integrated into the game that even if you liked that character in the first game (which I did) you likely won’t miss him. It’s good, smart, video game writing that gives you pleasant characters you enjoy spending time with. Too many games seem to think that good writing requires anti-heroes who repel as much as they attract, and while that approach has its place it’s overdone. Sometimes it’s nice to spend some time with awesome people you actually like and might want to hang out with if you knew them in real life, rather than tortured, damaged, quasi-psychopaths.

Of course you do get to hang out with some bad guys too. Get it? Hang out. Because they're hanging from that beam? One thing I did miss about Peter was the dad jokes, though Miles makes a few himself, despite being 17.
Of course you do get to hang out with some bad guys too. Get it? Hang out. Because they're hanging from that beam? One thing I did miss about Peter was the dad jokes, though Miles makes a few himself, despite being 17.

This is good because the main story in Miles Morales is very short. Too short. That’s an unusual criticism coming from me, since I think almost every game outstays its welcome, but according to the PS5 activity counter I finished Miles Morales in under 8 hours. That was not me rushing through the game either; I did probably half of the side stuff available and the game said I had an 82% completion rate. The story itself is quite good. It’s not quite a top tier video game story but it’s well written, well acted, and has believable people in emotionally affecting scenarios. I cared about what was happening to the people of Harlem and Spider-Man’s friends. I hated the villains you were supposed to hate, felt empathy for the villains you were supposed to feel empathy for, and never thought that people were acting stupidly or completely out of character based on who they seemed like they were supposed to be. The cut scenes are fantastic; filled with both quieter emotional moments and big explosive action. It feels like what storytelling in an AAA video game should be. A big expensive restaurant meal served with panache and near flawless presentation. It’s just from one of those restaurants where the delicious portions are so small that you have to get a slice of pizza on the way home if you don’t want to go to bed hungry.

And I think that’s my biggest issue with Miles Morales, a game that I really did enjoy for its brief running time. It feels like even at the reduced price they could have done more. I think Sony viewed this as an Uncharted: Lost Legacy type project; a slightly smaller experience offered at a slightly reduced price starring supporting characters from its main game predecessor. The difference between the two projects is that Lost Legacy was a new adventure in new locations, while Miles Morales is a new story in pretty much the same city. Even many of the new places Miles goes feel rehashed. There’s a thrilling chase through a mall (which, like the coconut milk fiasco, doesn’t really make sense in the context of Manhattan), a science exhibit and a broken down theater, but other than those locations and Miles’ apartment the new locations are all offices, industrial facilities, and abandoned subway stations. Getting to visit a new office suite in a game is not like getting to visit a new ancient temple. It’s not a thrill.

Is this a new area? An old one? I don't know. Industrial facilities all kind of blend together after awhile.
Is this a new area? An old one? I don't know. Industrial facilities all kind of blend together after awhile.

I got the Miles Morales Ultimate Edition, which came with the DLC for the 2018 game, previously offered in a $20 season pass. It took me a little over 6 hours to play through that DLC, which is just slightly less time than Miles Morales. Were those campaigns of the quality of the Miles Morales campaign? Not even close. They had decent cut scenes and writing but lacked the bombast and spectacle of the Morales storyline, they featured old characters instead of new and, of course, they didn’t have the Miles Morales wintery setting or his new powers. But they weren’t that far off. And they were $20. $50 feels like a big jump.

I liked Spider-Man 2018 and I liked Miles Morales. I’d even say that I liked Miles Morales more while I was playing it, though the experience was pretty brief for the price and felt a little warmed over from the earlier game. Value is subjective and hard to judge. A good short game can be worth a high price, especially if it’s at console launch. But I definitely do not think Miles Morales is a system seller. Having an open world game be this short gives you the biggest disadvantage of open world games (downtime and filler) without one of the major advantages (size and breadth) though it does still let you choose what to do at any given moment and offer the immersion of a city map that lets you take whatever route you want to your objectives or just wander around enjoying the sights and sounds. The fact that I wanted more from the main story of Miles Morales speaks in part to its high quality. The fact that a meandering gamer like me easily got through it in single digit game time speaks to its dearth of content. There’s a new game plus mode, of course, and even some abilities that are locked behind that, but in a game whose best aspect is its storytelling New Game Plus does not get at the core of its appeal. I don’t want to play the same types of fights and the same mediocre stealth I did in Spider-Man 2018 all over again as a slightly stronger form of Miles. I wanted more story. More villains. More of Miles’ relationships with Phin and Ganke and his uncle. You’re not going to get that in New Game Plus. Just another chance to reheat the same leftovers.

The game makes an effort at extending value in New Game Plus, but for a game whose best aspect is its story this is not as appealing as the developers seem to think.
The game makes an effort at extending value in New Game Plus, but for a game whose best aspect is its story this is not as appealing as the developers seem to think.

Miles Morales is worth your time, especially considering its brevity, but maybe not worth your money at full price. If you’re going to ask for $50 for a 7.5 hour game then it should offer a new experience and a tightly focused campaign with no downtime, not the same fighting missions you played a couple years earlier and a bunch of time just swinging around a redressed version of the same map that game took place in. At $30 this would be a much easier sell, and it’s definitely worth playing if you can get it at a discount, but for me this was not a case of less being more. Sometimes less is just less.

The game does give you a costume where you carry a cat in your backpack. So I guess what I'm saying is 10/10 game of the generation.
The game does give you a costume where you carry a cat in your backpack. So I guess what I'm saying is 10/10 game of the generation.

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I dunno I thought it was superior in every way to the previous game. The first was bloated and clichéd. When this one was clichéd at least it was quick.

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CreepingDeath0

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I always thought it's length was Miles Morales' biggest strength to be honest.

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bigsocrates

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#3 bigsocrates  Online

@sethmode: It is better in almost every way (the exception being that they cut all the puzzles when they should have only cut some of the puzzles.)

The problem is that if you played the 2018 game then you've already played most of what this has to offer, and the story is super short for the price. Especially when you consider that much of the story consists of open world filler stuff, and it's basically the same filler stuff you already did in the 2018 game.

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BladeOfCreation

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Great review!

I appreciated the length of this game (the game was a Christmas present from my roommate, so I didn't pay for it). It really worked for me. I appreciated that it didn't overstay its welcome. The story, characters, writing, and voice acting are all fantastic and the game didn't feel like it dragged on. These days I think a game dragging on is more of a sin than a game being too short, but of course that's subjective for everyone.

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bigsocrates

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#5 bigsocrates  Online

@bladeofcreation: Normally I am also of the "it's better to be too brief than too long" school, but the issue I have with Miles Morales there is that there's filler in that brief runtime, especially if you've played Spider-Man 2018. This is not Bayonetta or Devil May Cry, where every moment is carefully curated to be exciting and interesting. There's a lot of swinging around the city and doing random crimes and picking up time capsules and tech parts and stuff, and it's the same city you swung around during the last game.

It's the combination of filler/rehash and length and price that I think is tough to swallow. Which is not to say that I don't think it's a good game, because it is, but rather that I think $50 is a lot to ask for what feels like a really well done piece of DLC.

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spacemanspiff00

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#6  Edited By spacemanspiff00

Might as well not create a new thread just to say FUCK UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENES. I finished MM today, and was gonna leave it on the PS5 for a possible NG+ run, only to find out that you can't skip almost any of the cutscenes in this game. I'll accept that for a first time watch, but NG+? FUCK OFF. Deleted immediately after this discovery.

Can't stand that devs still pull this nonsense. Don't. Waste. Gamers. Time!

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bigsocrates

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#7 bigsocrates  Online

@spacemanspiff00: That sucks and I'm honestly pretty surprised that they haven't at least patched it in by now.

I don't understand why it's 2022 and devs haven't figured out the BASICS of this stuff yet. I recently played Marvel's Midnight Suns and it had the opposite issue. Cut scenes can't be paused. Additionally even though it's a single player game you can't actually pause at all! If someone is talking in ambient conversation and you go to the menu they will keep talking.

Pausing (and skipping cut scenes) have been around since the 1980s and the NES. It's almost 40 years later and developers still can't figure it out? Have these people never played video games themselves? Have they never wanted to skip a cut scene or pause so they could answer the door? I don't understand who makes these idiotic decisions.

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@bigsocrates: Wow I didn't know that about Midnight Suns since its not my type of game. That's a very strange decision, indeed. Sounds like something that people would be complaining enough for them to patch. Hope so, anyway.

I think it bothers me more these days because it seems like an extremely conscious decision someone is making. I refuse to believe its ever an oversight at this point. Seems like ego's getting in the way. Like, I get that you want me to see the story you wrote but forcing me to watch it every time is obnoxious. Its like when games checkpoint you right before a cutscene that leads into a battle, and then when you die you're forced to watch said cutscene again before you start the fight over. Possible load masking aside, that one chaps my ass.